Hall Street apartments plans tabled

Feb. 25—TRAVERSE CITY — Plans for a new, 97-apartment building slated for a vacant Hall Street lot drew praise from city planners.

But they agreed they had enough missing details and too many unanswered questions to approve a site plan for the development at a recent meeting. They voted 8-0, with commissioner Jim Tuller absent, to table the plans from Innovo Development Group — the company behind nearby Breakwater Apartments.

One major question is whether the building would require a public vote under a recent charter amendment because of two planned rooftop stairwell towers and elevator shafts, and some proposed amenities like a tennis court surrounded by 12-foot-high netting.

City voters adopted the charter amendment in 2016 to require voter approval of any new construction taller than 60 feet.

Commissioner Heather Shaw raised the question among many others, and city planner Russ Soyring responded the building is 60 feet at the roof deck. City zoning rules don't include parapets, elevator shafts or staircase towers in height measurements.

David VanderKlok, president of Studio Intrigue Architects and the project's point person, said the developers hoped to have some kind of rooftop amenities.

Commissioner Brian McGillivary said he wanted to get a legal opinion to be sure, and other commissioners agreed. He believed the city was lenient in the past on what structures it allowed on building roofs, and said the plans in question included elevator shafts with a vestibule and a small room that VanderKlok said was for a generator required by state regulations.

The city could be sued by someone who saw the rooftop structures, amenities or both as a violation of the charter amendment, McGillivary said.

"On the other hand, I agree with Mr. VanderKlok ... it'd be great to have these roofs in use, I just don't know where we sit on that legally, and that's a concern for me," he said.

The plans call for a six-story building with a façade split in two, each section with different architectural elements, VanderKlok said before the meeting.

Most of the apartments would be studios, 41 at 416 square feet and 23 at 535 square feet, documents show. There would be a few dozen two-bedrooms plus a handful of one- and three-bedroom units — VanderKlok told commissioners that every apartment would be for lease, and said prior to the meeting that his early "educated guess" was that rents would be similar to the Breakwater Apartments, and possibly somewhat less.

Drawings show the structure would have parking in the first floor, plus commercial space along Hall Street. An attached three-level parking structure would bring the total spaces to 81.

The first-floor commercial space would have to expand, according to recently passed changes in Development District zoning reserving the front 30 feet in depth of a building for occupied space.

Soyring said those changes would also push back some of the building's upper-story setbacks, and could require an angled corner on the building by its driveway.

City commissioners adopted those rules Feb. 16 and they haven't taken effect yet, but the project is not exempt because it's only plans at this point and not under construction, Soyring said.

VanderKlok told commissioners Innovo Development Group wanted to create something in line with the changes city officials were contemplating.

McGillivary said he wanted to see the plans updated to reflect those new rules, and other commissioners agreed.

That wasn't all — planners also wanted to see a streetscape for Hall Street the developer would be required to build, and the project's landscape plans.

Commissioner Janet Fleshman said she could never vote for a project without seeing its landscaping plan. The document could also answer questions Shaw had about "green" roofs and how much the developer was planning.

Those rooftop plantings would help the building meet the city's impervious surface limits, as would a planned rain garden between the building and parking ramp.

Shaw said the plans' green roof space wasn't big enough compared to the roof area, and she panned the rain garden — she asked what could grow in a spot that looked to be blocked from the sun. The design might improve water quality but wouldn't do much to cut the quantity of runoff going into the city's storm water system.

VanderKlok said the developer would commit to green roofs and said the setup is similar to one created for the Breakwater Apartments at the city's urging, including a rain garden between the building and parking ramp. He said he trusted his landscape architect could come up with something workable for the Hall Street project as well.

Fleshman and other commissioners, despite their concerns, praised the project overall on everything from its variety in apartment sizes to its architecture and material choices.

Fleshman said the amenities could lure tenants in their 20s or so, especially the bike racks — VanderKlok said the planned-for 16 will increase — and rooftop amenities.

"Even if Gen Z can't afford this, it's what they aspire to, and living in a cool building with a roof and bike storage and all kinds of amenities, they're willing to live in pretty small spaces to do that, so I hope it's a success," she said.